How I Became A Runner

Marathon master Steve Way explains how he took his first steps as a runner – and how anyone can do the same

Steve went from 40-a-day smoker to international athlete

When I took my first tentative steps into running nearly 10 years ago, I didn’t realise what a huge impact on my life such a simple sport could have.

And that’s the thing: it’s a simple sport. Remember that when you start to worry about all the little details and wonder whether you look like a novice. Find yourself a comfortable pair of trainers, some kit that doesn’t chafe and start putting one foot in front of the other.

It’s that easy.

Concentrate on just getting out there on a regular basis and putting in some effort; it won’t be long before you start seeing improvements. The key to your future running success is an aerobic base, and the key to that is consistency.

One of my biggest concerns when I first started running was entering races. Was I ready? Would I make a fool of myself? It turns out I was fine, and it brought a whole new dimension and purpose to my running.

The beauty of taking the sport up now is you can take your first step towards road racing by going along to your local parkrun. It’s more relaxed than an official race but it will introduce you to the concept of timed group running and will also connect you to a community of likeminded people.

The final big step for me in my first year of running was joining a club. I was worried that I just wouldn’t fit in, but it turns out club runners are no different to everyone else and it’s a great environment to be in when you want to start taking your training to the next level.

All good clubs will be happy to have guests along to their training nights. And I guarantee you this: you won’t be the fastest, but you also won’t be the slowest.